System and method for planning support removal in hybrid manufacturing with the aid of a digital computer

Abstract

Algorithmic reasoning about a cutting tool assembly's space of feasible configurations can be effectively harnessed to construct a sequence of motions that guarantees a collision-free path for the tool assembly to remove each support structure in the sequence. A greedy algorithm models the motion of the cutting tool assembly through the free-spaces around the intermediate shapes of the part as the free-spaces iteratively reduce in size to the near-net shape to determine feasible points of contact for the cutting tool assembly. Each support beam is evaluated for a contact feature along the boundary of the near-net shape that constitutes a feasible point of contact. If a support beam has at least one feasible configuration at each point, the support beam is deemed ‘accessible’ and a collection of tool assembly configurations that are guaranteed to be non-colliding but which can access all points of contact of each accessible support beam can be generated.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system, comprising:
 a storage device that stores parameters of a manufacturing process for removing one or more support structures from a part using a set of tools of a manufacturing assembly; and 
 a processor configured to determine whether a support structure is removable based on the parameters of the manufacturing assembly and to develop a process plan comprising manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the manufacturing assembly configured to use one or more of the tools to remove the support structures according to the process plan. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the storage device stores a near-net shape initially modeled as the part combined with the support structures; and 
 the near-net shape is continually updated as the processor determines that a support structure is removable. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein each parameter comprises at least one of an orientation and a position of the manufacturing assembly. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the storage device stores a model of the part defining surfaces of the part, interior of the part, and the support structures. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to evaluate each support structure to identify contact features at an intersection of the support structure and the part and to add a support structure to a support removal sequence of the process plan if a contact feature accessible by the manufacturing assembly is identified. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to construct for each support structure in the support removal sequence a set of collision-free contact configurations of the manufacturing assembly at a contact feature of the support structure. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that a part is non-manufacturable when no accessible contact feature exists. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to generate a plurality of support removal sequences and to select one of the support removal sequences based upon an optimization constraint. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to reorder the support removal sequence and re-attempt to create the process plan based upon the reordered support removal sequence. 
     
     
       11. A method comprising:
 storing parameters of a manufacturing process for removing one or more support structures from a part using a set of tools of a manufacturing assembly; 
 determining whether a support structure is removable based on the parameters of the manufacturing assembly; and 
 developing a process plan comprising manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising operating the manufacturing assembly to remove the support structures according to the process plan. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein each parameter comprises at least one of an orientation and a position of the manufacturing assembly. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising storing a model of the part, the model defining surfaces of the part, interior of the part, and the support structures. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein developing the process plan comprises:
 evaluating each support structure to identify contact features at an intersection of the support structure and the part; and 
 adding a support structure to a support removal sequence of the process plan if a contact feature accessible by the manufacturing assembly is identified. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising constructing for each support structure in the support removal sequence a set of collision-free contact configurations of the manufacturing assembly at a contact feature of the support structure. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising determining that a part is non-manufacturable when no accessible contact feature exists. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising generating a plurality of support removal sequences and to select one of the support removal sequences based upon an optimization constraint. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 reordering the support removal sequence; and 
 re-attempting to create the process plan based upon the reordered support removal sequence. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 storing a near-net shape initially modeled as the part combined with the support structures; and 
 continually updating the near-net shape based on determining that a support structure is removable.